A 75 ft. tall statue of Christ welcomes us as we enter Rosarito.
We finally made it to the ranch after 7 hours of driving.
The girls enjoyed playing with Fisher and his sister, Grace. Their sweet family lives on the Ranch and works with Azusa Pacific.
Viva la Mexico!
A beautiful crisp morning.
Leaving the ranch for our build site the next morning.
Ready to work.
This is Rosario. The loft house is for her. Her daughter has given her the small piece of land behind her own house. Her daughter lives there with her 3 children.
The girls’ main job was to paint and they did GREAT!
We got the whole family involved.
There is no plumbing in these residential areas. This is right next door to our build.
The outdoor kitchen.
The foundation is up!
The daughter and her family making us lunch in their home.
The girls met 6 year old Melissa and 8 year old Mariana.
Sharing their Halloween candy with the crew and their new friends.
They taught the kids how to play Frisbee.
They couldn’t communicate well but thankfully, friendship and laughter are an international language.
The men worked their tails off.
The kids ran around and played tag.
“Mom, these kids are just like us!”
The ladies on our team.
Almost done!
Helping with the final touches.
Making a house, a home.
Our hardworking crew.
Ophelia and her husband lead us in prayer (in Spanish) and dedicate the house to the Lord.
Overcome with gratitude, Rosario is given the keys to her new home and a bible in Spanish.
First of all, a big THANK YOU to all those who prayed for us on this trip. We felt your love and prayers go with us as God had His hand on us, every step of the way.
Pre-trip
The day before we were to leave, Faith had a fever of 102 with no appetite. She slept for most of the day. At about 5pm, she woke up, her fever broke and she began to eat, sing, and run around. She never looked back and was completely fine the next morning. She did NOT want to miss the trip.
The Long Journey & The Ranch
That morning, we were originally scheduled to meet our group at 11am and caravan down to Ensenada together from church. We were told the total drive time was about 6 hours so that would put us at “The Ranch” before dark. Morgan woke up and said he wanted to try and leave earlier at 9am with the other group that was leaving. We rushed around that morning and managed to pull into church at 9.
Three stops later (for lunch and bathroom breaks), our group arrived at Rancho El Refugio (without incident) about 7 hours later.
The ranch was perched on 17 acres and it was quite beautiful. The location is used by Azusa Pacific University and other organizations to carry out missions in the local areas.
Our accommodations were much nicer than anticipated. They put our family in a large school room (which they use to teach the local kids). We were told to bring our sleeping bags so it was much like camping, but nicer. There were 4 thick mats on the ground and we also brought our blow up beds so we were quite comfortable. A bonus- we had our own bathroom and shower. They called this the “Penthouse suite.” :)
There were about 60-70 people in our entire group. We were broken up into teams since there were 5 loft homes that needed to be built. As we prepared to head out to our build site early the next morning, we learned that the group that left church at 11am the previous morning, got into a 4 car collision before coming over the border. They also got lost twice and didn’t find their way to the ranch until 8:30 that night. However, by God’s grace, no one was injured and they were all in great spirits and ready to work for the Lord. What an example of faithfulness and tenacity.
The Scene
The poverty in the area where we built was indescribable really. I took the pictures so we can look back and remember. Thin stray dogs covered in fleas roamed the neighborhoods. The stench of burning garbage floated throughout the air. These folks have no running water, showers, toilets or sinks. Their outhouses made port-a-potties (while camping) seem… bearable.
We were simply there to be the hands and feet of Jesus… and to give them hope.
Life Lessons
The girls got to see first hand, not everyone lives like we do. They saw and experienced what poverty really looks like. Other than that plastic see-saw the kids were playing on, we saw no other toys, dolls, stuffed animals or books. They practiced their Spanish and made new friends. They worked really hard and spread some love and joy along the way. We couldn’t be more proud of them.
In summary, I came into this weekend knowing that helping to build a loft house for a family in Mexico was probably going to be the least of what actually happens on this trip. Yes, we worked really hard, from morning to night. Yes, the folks were incredibly touched and grateful. However, those things were pretty much going to be a given.
For me, the weekend was about so much more. It is a personal story and I don’t know if I can accurately put it into words.
I was inspired by all of us who came together and surrendered our lives (if even for a weekend), to help others, in the name of Christ. After all, isn’t it much easier to know and believe your faith than to actually live it out. We sacrificed our time, our money, our comforts, our cleanliness, and our expectations.
Yet at the same time, we recognized that we are so small and that God is so big. He doesn’t need us to do His work. Yet He waits for us to say Yes. He waits for us to surrender.
And in doing so, we are the ones who are blessed. I was reminded this weekend that the only fear I should have is the fear of living outside of His will. Danny with Hands of Mercy greatly ministered to my heart and as a result, my hope and faith were strengthened immensely by serving alongside others and hearing God’s Truth.
A priceless reward and lesson, I pray I will not soon forget.
Future Mission Trips
This was a wonderful experience for the girls and they were the perfect age for this particular trip. Morgan and I were talking on the way home and decided that yes, we would come back to serve in Mexico again. We also came to the realization that for our family, mission trips do not have to be overseas or to far away places. At least not yet. Although we love to travel and experience new countries, there are plenty of folks right here in America who need God’s hope, mercy and love.
Lord willing, we are hoping and praying for future opportunities to serve as a family.
We hope you have been encouraged by our story in some way. And perhaps, you might even consider coming alongside us to serve someday.
To God be the Glory!
Just beautiful.....
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